Open Designs

Open Designs Forum » Site Specific

1. Sean
   Founding Member

   Some people are getting way to technical and bringing up all sorts of possible legal ideas and/or problems with advertising, the site, etc...

   I'm receiving a ton of emails about it, some good and some bad about this as well.

   Bottom line, I am going to publicly say that I'm getting pretty damn close to walking away from this project.

   There are a few users who are continuing to make this not a fun and enjoyable experience anymore. You will be receiving personal private messages from me soon.

   Why am I at my wits end?

   For starters, I took so much flack when I was an admin on OWD. You know, that other site :bigsmile:

   Some of you might remember I was the only one for a good 6-9 months who kept the site alive before OD came about and most of us came to our new home here at OD.

   OD was suppose to be better and for close to 7 months it has until recently.

   I've also taken the brunt of other things with OD when things go sideways. Why is this?

   Because I'm not worried about expressing my feelings about issues. Many will back me on this.

   I've also shown to many people that I am a fair and open minded admin and willing to help just about anyone. Most of you are now close friends of mine.

   Normally I can take a lot of crap dished out to me but I've finally reached my breaking point. Watch out, Irish blood starting to boil :)

   I won't speak for the other two admins (Joe and Christopher) but I've personally put hundreds of hours into Open Designs... all donated and I never asked for anything, except maybe for everyone to be nice and help support the site or back the community when needed.

   Why have I done this? Because of my love and respect for the community and the open source cause that most of us believe in.

   A lot of users and members share my beliefs. Apparently there are a few who don't.

   In closing, if you have issues with me personally or how I do my part as an admin for Open Designs, contact me off forum and lets discuss.

   Thanks in advance... and now bakies for everyone :bakie:

   Posted 3 years ago #

2. Robobuilder
   Member

   Sean, I know that some people don't support you and what you and the other admins do however that happens in any organization with a lot of people with different personalities. With that said, I think that you do a great job and I really appreciate what you have done. Ben

   Posted 3 years ago #

3. Outsider
   Member

   Wow, some people just have to ruin a good thing. Sean, everyone knows all the time and effort you've put into this site and almost everyone appreciates it. (5 minutes ago I would have thought everyone appreciated it.) Keep up the good work! You, Joe and Chris rock!

   Posted 3 years ago #

4. NickyD
   Moderator

   Sean, it looks like everything is going well for most of us when we read the forum. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We would never know you and the other admins may be upset. Please don't walk away. There are too many people here that respect your work and commitment to this project. You, Joe, and Christopher are an amazing group of leaders needed for this project. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and stay.

   Posted 3 years ago #

5. zanzibar
   Member

   I think everyone appreciates all the hard work that you have put into this site. Maybe some people just don't realise how much time and effort you have contributed, because they just reap the benefits. Obviously after a while, hearing people complaining can be a drag, I guess it kind of comes with the territory. If you ask people their opinions they are bound to give it.... Don't let a few bad apples spoil your day, take a deep breath and have a bakie... whatever that may be. :wink:

   Posted 3 years ago #

6. Neuen
   Administrator

   To All Ye Who Complain: The TODC was build by these fine and wonderful people who have earned the title an Administrator. Many of them spending much time, nay, tons of time debugging,building,fixing and sponsoring this wonderful community which we call home. All of this time was under the pure love of the community, none of them ever expecting a pay-check, even though they could have spent all the time that they have working on paying projects. So step back and have a look at our once small and now big community of opensource designers/coders/learners and then think about what you really have to complain about, really do you have anything? You need to stay Sean. My post really reads funny. :|

   Posted 3 years ago #

7. Roshan
   Member

   Posted By: NickyD You, Joe, and Christopher are an amazing group of leaders needed for this project. Take a step back, take a deep breath, and stay.

   :bigsmile: I second that :) I hope that things will calm down soon and this community will not end up like the other two :(

   Posted 3 years ago #

8. Jeremy
   Member

   Don't let a few idiots ruin this for you, Sean. there's plenty of us that respect/appreciate what you and the other admins do. And you and me have only talked that one time, but you're a great guy and I'd hate to see you leave because some idiots were act like...well...idiots.

   besides, if you leave, you'll miss the bakie party I'm throwing. :bakie::bakie::bakie::bakie:

   Posted 3 years ago #

9. Sumanasa
   Member

   You are doing a fantastic job boss! I am still waiting for my OD t-shirt :bakie:

   Posted 3 years ago #

10. LobsterMan
    Key Master

    Sean, as you know, we all support you and want you here.

    Now just to clarify things once and for all:
    Sean, Chris and myself put hundreds of hours in this site in order to make it the best site for designers and users alike. We did not ask for any payment, nor did we receive the slightest one. We are still working on making this place the best.

    One of the ways to make this place better is to host Mesa-Contests, that will bring in more talent, and interest in the open source design community and concept from around the web. Any money raised from advertising or any other activity on this site will be used for this site.

    As you all know, one of the issues with the other site was that in fact, one person is in control, and can decide to do things for his immediate benefit even if it was bad for the designers. That's why we set up a system of administrators and moderators, and we encourage everyone in the community to participate and voice their opinions.

    Saying all that, any personal attacks on anyone in the staff will not be tolerated by the staff, or by anyone that was here long enough.

    <cite>Posted By: Sumanasa</cite> I am still waiting for my OD t-shirt:bakie:

    Now there's a brilliant idea!

    Bakies for everyone :wink: :bakie: :bakie: :bakie:
    <small>/* Quote problem fixed by Gnome */</small>

    Posted 3 years ago #

11. wfiedler
    Member

    I don't understand which reasons those people have. If they have a look at OSWD or OWD, there happens nothing!

    But I also noticed that some members from the beginning of OD are missing. I've never heard about something from e.g. Andreas or gwolfgang in the last months. Strange.

    But if they don't want to take part in this community I actually don't care.

    Keep it alive Sean, you are our man!

    I'm also waiting for the OD t-shirt to wear it proudly here in Germany
    :smile:.

    Posted 3 years ago #

12. Roshan
    Member

    OD T-shirt :bigsmile: i'd love to wear one as well here in Brunei :)

    Posted 3 years ago #

13. soyrosa
    Member

    Well, Sean, it just sucks having such users :) I'm happy to know most of us don't complain and just respect all the work you and the others put in OD. I hope you can sort things out by directly contact the ones that annoy you, and then read all these heart warming comments on this thread ;) And stay! But all that is up to you. Want a bakie? :bakie:

    Posted 3 years ago #

14. Christopher
    Moderator

    Not sure what to say, just to chime in and agree with what everyone else has already said above. Also as already stated above, non of us are here for financial profit, any money the site makes is to be put back into the community in the form of contests etc.

    On the topic of the new adverts, if anyone doesn't like them, then block them using a browser extension or something, but they're here until at least the trial period is up. After that it's a vote which decides their long-term future on this site.

    Apart from the odd few people who seem to be picking at stupid little things such as legal implications (errm, when you signed up, did you agree that posts would not be edited to include adverts? it works both ways surely...) the general idea is that most people are in favour of them, but only time will tell if they stay, as thats up to the vote.

    Posted 3 years ago #

15. Sean
    Founding Member

    Thank you everyone for your kind words and support of me personally, the site and my fellow admins.

    I've also received a few emails of support as well, so thank you for those too.

    As for Andreas and gwolfgang missing lately, I recall gwolfgang posting about not being around for a while to take care of some personal business.

    I also know that Andreas is alive and well but also taking care of personal business and his site.

    That's the thing, people seem to forget a lot of us have lives outside of OpenDesigns but most of us, admins and moderators included always find the time to handle business and keep things flowing.

    Again, thank you everyone for your continued support of OD... and now to get some sleep, it's almost 1:30 am and I'm needing to be up in a few hours :bakie:

    Posted 3 years ago #

16. Sean
    Founding Member

    P.S., we will never add in advertisements to design templates like was done in the past with other sites.

    I also did not put the Kontera ad code on the template preview pages, so nothing should show up on template content.

    This ad system should only be showing up on the site main pages and on the forum, not design previews, so if you see that, let me know off forum but again, it should be fine.

    Posted 3 years ago #

17. Jan
    Member

    I second everything said above. I've been at OD since it started, and I know much Sean and the others have put into it. THere'll always be people ready to jump in midway, looking to criticise, but all of us here know how painstakingly OD was built. And more important, it would have never happened without all you put into it, Sean.

    Even one idiot can ruin a perfectly fine community, but I think your post just reminded us the principles upon which OD came into being and why we are what we are! :-) So, I really hope you stick it out here.

    Um... that was not very eloquent, but I hope everyone gets my drift! And I'm in line for a T-shirt!

    Posted 3 years ago #

18. Saad
    Member

    What do people have to complain about anyway? OD seems to be running great.

    Sean, thanks for your support throughout OD. You guys have really helped this community, and you may not realize it, but you may have truly impacted the careers of some individuals. (myself). Without the support from this community, I would have never learned xhtml/css, never tried to improve my design skills, never even looked back at design as something interesting. now I know its something I want to do for a long time, and alot of the credit goes to you guys on this community.

    Posted 3 years ago #

19. bakercad
    Moderator

    Oh Sean...what more can we say. The members who are really active here support you 99.9%

    There's going to be a few flies in the ointment every now and then. And not all of them need a response. You can't and are not expected to answer to every one of them. Let it roll of your back. Who cares if 1 user in Cambodia (not that there's anything wrong with Cambodia) is upset about Kontera links? :wink: You know what I mean.

    You're doing a great job. Taking great care of this site and the community is always in your best interest. Doesn't get any better than that.

    Please stay!

    **** shackles Sean's leg to OD ****

    Posted 3 years ago #

20. null
    Member

    At the end of the day in the whole world order of things, this site along with 99% of all the other sites on the web aren't that important to me. If this site collapses, my world will go on and I'll be the same happy person I try to be every time I wake up. People in this world will criticise for all sorts of things and in all sorts of ways. Sean, Chris and Joe, do what makes you happy, and those of us that want to ride on your efforts will do so, leave the rest to go on as they do. As great as this site is, it's not worth worrying about. I worry about the health and safety of my son (Angus) and his life with me. I compare everything else to him... and nothing does :smile:

    So... lets turn this frown upside down. SO, what's the most important thing in your life?

    Posted 3 years ago #

21. Sean
    Founding Member

    Thank you again everyone. After much thought and talking with a few people I am indeed staying on.

    Yes I know things can't be peaches and cream all the time but like mentioned, a few people can mess things up for all of us.

    Lets just keep doing what we've always done, designing, contributing, writing and supporting each other.

    At the end of the day, we are all friends (most of us) and have the same vision... lets keep the site strong and moving forward in a positive way the best we can.

    Posted 3 years ago #

22. wfiedler
    Member

    Well and wise said, Sean. :cheer:

    Posted 3 years ago #

23. NickyD
    Moderator

    Good decision Sean. The End.... */theme music fades out/*

    Posted 3 years ago #

24. Roshan
    Member

    :bakie: :bigsmile: :peace:

    Posted 3 years ago #

25. refueled
    Member

    Posted By: seanroxThank you again everyone. After much thought and talking with a few people I am indeed staying on.

    That's awesome to hear Sean! Thanks for keeping us posted. Have a :bakie: or two.

    Posted 3 years ago #

26. soyrosa
    Member

    Thanks for staying Sean! :bigsmile:

    Posted 3 years ago #

27. bakercad
    Moderator

    Great news that you're staying. There ought to be beer vouchers, so I could buy you one or 2 or more :wink:

    Posted 3 years ago #

28. arwen54
    Member

    I've been..ah, out of the loop, shall we say, for some weeks now...but I'm still around and will always support this site and the admins and moderators who dedicate so much time to this project. I'm glad you are staying, Sean. Don't let anyone ruin a good thing.

    Posted 3 years ago #

29. Jan
    Member

    Posted By: seanroxThank you again everyone. After much thought and talking with a few people I am indeed staying on.

    :cheer: Yay!

    Posted 3 years ago #

30. Syuk
    Member

    <cite>Posted By: Christopher</cite>snip
    Apart from the odd few people who seem to be picking at stupid little things such as legal implications (errm, when you signed up, did you agree that posts would not be edited to include adverts? it works both ways surely...) the general idea is that most people are in favour of them, but only time will tell if they stay, as thats up to the vote.

    I feel bad that my comment yesterday on this issue has been received so badly and regret it caused any kind of offence, none was intended. I only wanted to raise the issue as it might have sparked some discussion that might interest other forum owners, calling people 'odd' and dismissing such well meant concerns as 'stupid little thing'(s) is IMHO not constructive to anything.

    As I mentioned in another post in the same thread, for some reason I don't see the ads anyway (when I use FF). I hope it works out, anything that keeps a site such as this going is constructive.

    I'm not trying to 'stir pots' or anything, and won't post anything again.

    Peace

    Posted 3 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply »

You must log in to post.